Shirley Wolfe has been a resident of Autumn Ridge for over a year, but she is a long time fixture of Southern Illinois. Shirley was born in Reevesville, but her father’s ministerial career brought her and her family to Brookport, Cypress, Karnak, and other small towns in the area. She graduated from Vienna High school and considers Vienna to be her home. Shirley grew up with her older sister who she remains very close with today.
Peggy Watts has lived at Autumn Ridge for almost three years. Most of Peggy’s life she lived in Massac County. Early on her father owned a grocery store in Brookport where she attended school. After her father got out of the grocery business, her parents and grandparents swapped houses. This move then put her family in the rural part of the county causing her to switch from Brookport Grade School to Unity Grade School. The house swap enabled her father to run the family farm. Peggy was the third of four daughters.
Mary Wood and Patricia Bingaman have been life long friends. Both have recently moved to Autumn Ridge where they have continued to grow their friendship. Mary and Pat are originally from Ullin, Illinois, but have lived in multiple places through the years. However they always seem to find their way back to each other.
Bill Worrell was born and raised in Vienna and has been a resident of Autumn Ridge Supportive Living for nearly five years. Bill spoke of his family life growing up. He said his parents were both teachers in Southern Illinois and his father even taught his mother in school. He reminisced about a very special teacher of his as he was growing up, one that left an impact in his life to this day for her kind and caring attitude she always displayed in the classroom.